Where has Avon taken you?

Canada Dry

Bertie Simmonds experiences a trip of a lifetime with Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays on a Triumph Speed Triple shod with Avons.

Today is that Special Day. I’m living my dream where solid cretaceous rock and sweet-smelling pine has replaced the central reservation and foul-smelling carbon-monoxide. I’m heading through the Monashee Mountains somewhere between Kelowna and Nelson in beautiful British Columbia heading towards the Rocky Mountains.

I've always wanted to see the Rockies and now I’m on my way. The sun is warm on my leathers and beneath me my Avon-shod Triumph Speed Triple is purring contentedly.

I’m part way through a 1700-mile seven-day trip through some of the most beautiful, un-spoilt scenery on God’s Earth. Many claimants have come forward for God’s Own Country – New Zealand, Australia and even Yorkshire claim the title – but today I’m sure He is resident here.There can’t be anything finer, surely? The sun’s out and shining and the Avon Azaros are gripping the Tarmac. It’s ‘fall’ or September in proper money and although the sun is out, I’m confident the Avons will perform whatever the weather.

My adventure started in Whistler, which is home to Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays. Formed more than a decade ago, the company prides itself on its luxury motorcycle tours that are geared solely to the enjoyment of the guests who want to ride some of the World’s most beautiful roads with stunning back-drops while staying at the best hotels and eating the finest cuisine that Canada and North America can offer. Stir into the mix a stunning array of Triumph’s finest motorcycles such as the Triumph Tiger, Speed Triple and Sprint ST and you have an intoxicating mix that add up to the holiday of a lifetime.

On day one, we leave our excellent hotel astride a selection of Triumph’s finest all set for our east-bound trip down the majestic Duffy Lake road. One thing that strikes you about Canada when you ride its roads is that it seems the place is only sparsely inhabited. Small, charming towns materialise on our route to remind us that people do actually live up here, but it serves as a reminder that there’s only an average of 2.5 Canadians per square kilometre. It gives a European a refreshing sense of the sheer size of the North American continent.

Animals are not so hard to spot. More than once we’ve stopped to witness mountain deer, coyotes and we’ve even spotted bear tracks on one of our many scheduled stops. Everything on this tour is luxury and nothing is too much trouble. Our guides are friendly, helpful and a mine of information on the local areas we’re visiting.

Here it needs to be explained why it’s a luxury tour. All of the hotels we’ve visited so far have been some of the best I’ve ever visited and the food is simply amazing. All the food, hotels and fuel is paid for in the cost of the trip and even half way through my trip my leathers were becoming even more snug than they were before. Luxury extends to the support on this trip. Behind us is our support truck, which is so large it covers two time zones. It has to be that big, as it’s carrying our luggage, spare waterproofs and even spare bikes and tyres.

On day three the weather closes in. Rain is falling, but the Avon Azaros are still doing the business. The roads we’re on offer a multitude of different surfaces, from grippy to slippy, from billiard table smooth to awfully uneven, but the Speed Triple and the Avons take it all in their stride.

Finally on day four the Rockies hove into view. You can’t help but be impressed by the majesty of them. Born from a shallow tropical sea 500 million years ago, the Rocky Mountains form the backbone of the North American continent and dominate life for miles around them.

We return to Whistler the scenic way and arrive three days later. It’s been a helluva trip, perhaps the finest road trip of my life. I’ve fallen in love with Canada, the sights, sounds, food and people. I don’t want to go home and I know that others have felt the same, little wonder that 30-40% of people on the tours are ‘returnees’ I plan to be one myself, one day.Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holiday tours range from seven to 15 days. For details on price and availability go to: www.rockymtnmoto.com and for the latest and best sports-touring tyres from Avon, speak to your local dealer!